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Interview with gay marriage movement founder Evan Wolfson

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Sunday, September 30, 2007

Evan Wolfson, the founder of the modern gay marriage movement, tells the waiter he would like an iced decaf and “the usual.” Wolfson, one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People in the World, is a man who unflinchingly knows what he wants and stays his course, whether it be in his choice of restaurant or in his choice of battle. And others always know when they see Evan coming what it is that he wants.

Since his time at Harvard Law School when he wrote a paper on the topic, what Wolfson wants is the right for gay people to marry. The issue gained national prominence in 1993 when the Hawaii Supreme Court held in Baehr v. Lewin that the government had to show a reason for the denial of the freedom to marry, not just deny marriage licenses to the plaintiff gay couples. Wolfson was co-counsel in the historic 1996 Hawaii trial in which he argued that the government does not have a sufficient reason for excluding same-sex couples from marriage. In 1999, Wolfson contributed to Baker v. Vermont, the case that led to the creation of civil unions; advised the lead attorneys in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the case that led to same-sex marriage in Massachusetts; and since 2003, when he founded the primary umbrella organization coordinating the efforts to win marriage for gay people, Freedom to Marry, Wolfson has played a role in every marriage equality case in the United States. He is the movement’s founder and leader, and his focus remains square on winning that right. “For years,” said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, “many of us were saying to him, ‘We’re not ready. The country’s not ready. And, by the way, you’re crazy.'”

When I make a statement to him about his devoting his life to gay marriage, he corrects me: “I’ve played a part in cases that span the entire spectrum of eliminating gay people’s exclusions and limitations on who gay people are, and I’ve also written on immigration and economic justice, and I have worked on cases involving race discrimination in jury selection and women’s inequality. I don’t think one has to pick one of these things; they work together.”

Indeed, he has. Wolfson was lead counsel before the Supreme Court in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, the case arguing against the expulsion of gay scoutmasters. As an intrepid young assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, Wolfson worked on People v. Liberta to end the exemption that allowed women to be raped by their husbands legally, a right in New York State as early as 1984. And he helped end the practice of choosing jurors based upon their race.

Wolfson’s entire career has been at the center of the most explosive legal and cultural issues of the last 30 years in the United States, and his influence has been profound. David Shankbone sat down with him to discuss some of the recent decisions affecting gay marriage, gender in marriage and reactions in the gay community to his fight for their rights.

Laser Tattoo Removal

Laser Spine Treatment

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Submitted by: Patrick Foote

Laser spine treatment is typically reserved for patients who have first attempted to find relief from back and neck pain with a set of conservative, nonsurgical therapies. These methods are usually the go-to doctor-recommended treatments when it comes to combating the pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness that are commonly associated with bone spurs, herniated or bulging discs, or other spine conditions, largely because studies have shown these methods to be relatively effective at mitigating symptoms.

Prior to suggesting any spine surgery, a patient s doctor may recommend a course of one or more non-surgical treatments, such as:

Low-impact exercise

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Narcotic pain medication

Physical therapy

Cryotherapy (cold therapy)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIBkcA1gTU4[/youtube]

Thermotherapy (heat therapy)

The Importance of Research

A doctor will typically recommend that a patient complete at least several weeks or months of conservative treatments like the ones listed above before laser spine treatment or any other spine surgery becomes an option. However, if nonsurgical methods are unable to mitigate a patient s back or neck pain after this time period, a doctor may then suggest surgical intervention.

Before consenting to any one procedure, it is important for a patient to carefully consider all of the surgical options available to him or her, including weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each. Additionally, obtaining multiple opinions can help confirm the original diagnosis and ensure that all conservative therapies have been attempted. Armed with this information, a patient can then make the decision that s best for him or her.

The Difference Between Open Spine Surgery and Endoscopic Procedures

When it comes to spine surgery, the main goal is often to decompress local nerve endings, the spinal cord, or nerve roots that have been affected by some anatomical abnormality. There are two main categories for decompression operations: open spine surgery and endoscopic procedures.

Open spine surgery is a highly invasive operation, requiring large incisions, muscle dissection, the removal of a significant portion of spinal anatomy, and in some cases, spinal fusion. Due to its level of invasiveness, open spine surgery often yields a recovery period that is lengthy and difficult.

Endoscopic procedures, on the other hand, take a minimally invasive approach to treating back and neck conditions, involving a small incision through which a series of tubes is inserted to allow access to the spine without dissecting musculature or disrupting a large portion of spinal anatomy. An endoscope (camera), laser, and tiny surgical tools are funneled through the tubes and are used to remove only the bone material or soft tissue that is necessary to relieve nerve irritation or compression. Because laser spine treatment is far less invasive than open spine surgery, the recovery period is generally shorter and less arduous.

Types of Endoscopic Procedures

Endoscopic laser spine treatment comes in many forms, and many procedures that are dubbed laser spine surgeries can also be performed through an open spine approach. The specific procedure that a doctor recommends will be based on a patient s specific condition, the location and severity of symptoms, overall level of health, and other factors. In general, the most common types of endoscopic spine procedures include:

Laminotomy

Foraminotomy

Discectomy

Facet thermal ablation

Some laser spine treatment centers may also offer procedures involving the patient s own adult stem cells, used in combination with endoscopic techniques, to help regenerate degenerative discs, or even minimally invasive spine stabilization as an alternative to open spinal fusion.

Consult Your Doctor

While laser spine treatment can offer patients a safe and effective alternative to open spine surgery, not all patients are candidates. If you are considering undergoing a surgical procedure to help treat your back or neck pain, ask your doctor to review your MRI or CT scan to determine whether an endoscopic procedure could help relieve your symptoms.

About the Author: Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient

laser spine treatments

for the treatment of several degenerative spinal conditions.

Source:

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Japanese survivor of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings dies, aged 93

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Friday, January 8, 2010

Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the only Japanese civilian to be officially recognized as having survived both the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in August of 1945 at the conclusion of World War Two, has died this Monday at the age of ninety-three, due to stomach cancer—one of the numerous illnesses that he suffered throughout his lifetime as a direct result of his exposure to nuclear radiation.

Mr. Yamaguchi, although he was against his nation’s involvement in the War, worked as a engineer for Mitsubishi—a company that helped equip and supply the Japanese Imperial Army. He was on business in Hiroshima at the time of the first bombing on August sixth. His almost direct exposure to the atomic explosion temporarily blinded him, ruptured his ear drum (leaving him permanently deaf in his left ear), and severely burnt the top half of his body. Three days later, having gone back to work in Nagasaki, he was approximately three kilometers away from the site of the second bomb. Although he was exposed to significant radiation in this instance as well, Mr. Yamaguchi was left relatively unscathed.

Following Japan’s surrender and the end of the War days later, Mr. Yamaguchi worked as a translator for the occupying American forces and later as a local schoolmaster, before eventually returning to Mitsubishi—which had since then become an automobile manufacturer.

In his later years, Mr. Yamaguchi became a respected lecturer who gave talks about his experiences, and publicly spoke out against the stockpiling of nuclear weapons.

For instance, in 2006, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly. “Having been granted this miracle, it is my responsibility to pass on the truth to the people of the world,” Mr. Yamaguchi said to the Assembly. He went on to say, “My double radiation exposure is now an official government record. It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die.”

When asked by the British Broadcasting Corporation what his reaction was to Mr. Yamaguchi’s death, the mayor of Nagasaki said that “a precious storyteller has been lost.”

Among the family and friends Mr. Yamaguchi left behind were his three adult children—who have also had health issues in their lifetimes thus far that they think may have be related to their father’s initial exposure.

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Colleges offering admission to displaced New Orleans graduate students

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See the discussion page for instructions on adding schools to this list.Tuesday, September 13, 2005

NAICU has created a list of colleges and universities accepting and/or offering assistance to displace faculty members. [1]Wednesday, September 7, 2005

This list is taken from Colleges offering admission to displaced New Orleans students, and is intended to make searching easier for faculty, graduate, and professional students.

In addition to the list below, the Association of American Law Schools has compiled a list of law schools offering assistance to displaced students. [2] As conditions vary by college, interested parties should contact the Office of Admissions at the school in question for specific requirements and up-to-date details.

The Association of American Medical Colleges is coordinating alternatives for medical students and residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. [3]

ResCross.net is acting as a central interactive hub for establishing research support in times of emergency. With so many scientists affected by Hurricane Katrina, ResCross is currently focused on providing information to identify sources of emergency support as quickly as possible. [4]

With so many scientists affected by Hurricane Katrina, ResCross is currently focused on providing information to identify sources of emergency support as quickly as possible.

Physics undergraduates, grad students, faculty and high school teachers can be matched up with housing and jobs at universities, schools and industry. [5] From the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Society of Physics Students, the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society.

If you are seeking or providing assistance, please use this site to find information on research support, available lab space/supplies, resources, guidelines and most importantly to communicate with fellow researchers.

The following is a partial list, sorted by location.

Alabama |Alaska |Arizona |Arkansas |California |Colorado |Connecticut |Delaware |District of Columbia |Florida |Georgia |Hawaii |Idaho |Illinois |Indiana |Iowa |Kansas |Kentucky |Louisiana |Maine |Maryland |Massachusetts |Michigan |Minnesota |Mississippi |Missouri |Montana |Nebraska |Nevada |New Hampshire |New Jersey |New Mexico |New York |North Carolina |North Dakota |Ohio |Oklahoma |Oregon |Pennsylvania |Rhode Island |South Carolina |South Dakota |Tennessee |Texas |Utah |Vermont |Virginia |Washington |West Virginia |Wisconsin |Wyoming |Canada

Retail

Net Shop E Commerce Click Trough Rate Tips On How To Strengthen It

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Get More Information Here:

Net Shop eCommerce Click Trough Rate – Tips on how to Strengthen It

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Jared Goddard

The e-commerce conversion rate, also termed \”click via rate\” is tremendously overlooked in most on the internet shops, this issue is actually critical and you also need to invest quite a bit of your respective time screening and analysis how your shoppers are using your website store.

In case you know how to adjust your conversion rate it is straightforward to improve the revenue for the on line store. Along with the good thing about hunting at your conversion rate, is that you in lots of cases could make every single increase in profits by only performing just a little function.

For demonstration of the, take a look at this short illustration.

On-line shop for kittens toys market their products for your cost of $20 on average, the webpage get all-around thousand website visitors of website traffic from Google searches monthly.

Should the conversion rate online store is 1% on average the shop would make income for $200 per 30 days. When the conversion rate was to improved by just 1%, the month to month earnings would improve to $400. And that\’s just by incising the conversion rate from 1% to 2%. Sometimes you will find which you can produce a large leap in revenue on the internet shop just by producing some tiny changes into the appear and experience of the web site.

For every on-line shop there are countless things you are able to improve to enhance the e-commerce conversion rate.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLOA-JETIMo[/youtube]

Here\’s 15 issues to bear in mind in order for you to increasing your ecommerce conversion rate

1) Write headlines that draw notice

2) Ensure it is uncomplicated in your buyers to navigate your store.

3) Lessen the webpage load time for your internet store

4) Be certain the customer is aware of what to do next on any web page

5) Your shop need to assist as several sorts of payment as you can

6) Find out how to spit take a look at your pages for getting inside the head of your respective customer.

7) Use surveys on your own store to seek out out what your shoppers really believe.

8) Be sure that it can be obvious what tends to make the online shop far better than everything else on line.

9) Be sure your internal \”search function\” is working and optimized to your customer searches

10) Have you ever page look awesome and simple to recognize for return clients.

11) Open all external links in a very new internet browser window

12) Limit the click route for completing a sale

13) Set up Google Analytics Aims to determine wherever you loose your buyers

14) Tend not to exhibit advertising and marketing like Adsense with your webshop

15) The design of your respective web site can improve your click via rate dramatecly

Find 1 issue that you believe will seriously aid improve the conversion rate in your eCommerce shop and employing that ahead of you go on on the future.

And finally a very powerful matter, constantly keep in mind that\’s genuine people who will be investigating your on-line retail store. You\’ll want to often intention for making it as easy as pleasant for them to buy at your retail store. It only can take a number of clicks using the mouse to uncover and buy the products some place else.

Check out below to locate additional data on

best eCommerce software

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Uncategorized

SpaceX scrubs Falcon I rocket launch

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Monday, November 28, 2005

SpaceX called off the much-delayed inaugural launch of their new Falcon 1 rocket on Saturday from Kwajalein’s Omelek Island launch site. The intent was to launch the U.S. Air Force Academy’s FalconSat 2 satellite, which will monitor plasma interactions with the Earth’s upper atmosphere and magnetosphere.

The launch was delayed, then finally cancelled after an oxygen boil-off vent had accidentally been left open. The oxygen was unable to cool the helium pressurant, which then proceeded to evaporate faster than it could be replenished. A main computer issue, probably serious enough to cause a scrub on its own, was also discovered.

This long-anticipated flight was originally expected to be launched in January 2005, however a series of setbacks forced a series of delays, with the flight most recently scheduled to be in early 2006. It was intended to be launched from the Kwajalein atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The maiden voyage was originally intended to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with a Naval Research Laboratory satellite and a Space Services Incorporated space burial payload.

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Saskatchewan places moratorium on boar farming, says escaped boars should be killed

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Saturday, March 14, 2009

At the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) conference, a resolution was passed that encourages the Government of Saskatchewan, Canada to place a moratorium on specialty livestock farms raising wild boar. All wild boars that have escaped to roam wild should be killed, according to the resolution.

Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud endorses a ban on wild boar farming. The wild boar population is expanding exponentially. There are over 2,000 feral Sus scrofa swine roaming the prairies. Two litters of approximately 12 piglets are sired by each wild boar sow every year. The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) likewise passed a similar resolution at their 79th annual convention to urge the Saskatchewan Government to declare the wild boar as a nuisance species which can be killed on sight.

3% of farmed “wild” boars escape. Cells of wild boars are ravenous creatures killing and eating everything in their path. Horses, cows, and other livestock run from wild boars, breaking through fences in the process.

Ostriches, emus, llamas, alpacas, reindeer, wild boar, and fallow deer were amongst the animals introduced to farms in Saskatchewan during the agricultural diversification program in the late 1970s. Production of wild boars was promoted throughout the 1980s.

According to the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food 2001 statistics, there were 150 wild boar producers raising approximately 15,000 and 20,000 head. Of these there were about 2,700 sows. On the 2006 Census of Agriculture, 401 farms reported 4,926 boars.

The boar’s red meat is an export commodity to Europe and Asia. The live breeding stock are also sold to trophy hunt ranches. Full blooded wild boar and hybrid crosses are raised.

Cosmetic Surgery

Do Grains, Breads, And Cereals Have A Place In The Natural Human Diet

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By Tera Warner

Unfortunately, humans have been so far removed from their natural environment and living conditions for such a long time, that most people have a hard time determining what the natural human diet would include.

We know that humans can survive on all kinds of different foods, but the valuable thing to consider is to what degree are humans surviving and with what quality of life? The rates of cancer, heart disease, arthritis and blood sugar disease are clear indicators that something has gone awry where human nutrition is considered. The Kleenex box has become a standard household item, but it doesn’t mean it’s supposed to be this way.

Taking a stroll through the local “natural health food” store doesn’t bring us much closer to understanding either, because you’ll quickly realize that the majority of the foods are no different than the kinds of things you find in your average grocery store. They’ve just come up with more “wholesome” or “organic” versions of standard fare, but the aisles are as littered with packaged foods as any supermarket.

An astounding proportion of the foods that pack these shelves are breads, crackers, cereals, granola bars and other grain products. But do these foods have a place in the natural human diet?

Whether we’re talking about grains or any other element of the human diet, it serves us to ask these three very important questions to determine whether a food is “natural” for human consumption.

1. Does it make sense?

2. Is it enjoyable in its natural state?

3. Does it bring positive results when we apply it as a diet?

Put yourself in a field of wheat and just try and make a meal out of what you find around you. Chances are you’ve never actually seen wheat in its unrefined state, but unless you’ve got a gizzard, it’s going to be an awfully hard thing to eat! It would take you hours to produce a handful of grains, and then once you had them, what would you do with them? They’re not naturally very tasty. Nor would you, surrounded by wheat plants, be naturally drawn to chomping on the stalks and spitting out the hulls.

Grains in their natural state are completely indigestible to humans, and while we have managed to do all manner of magnificent works of art with grains, it doesn’t make it any more naturally a part of the human diet.

1. Does it make sense? No!

2. Is it enjoyable in its natural state?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj919FWbEPY[/youtube]

Well, if the above mentioned chewing on stalks got you salivating, then you may be in luck. For the rest of us however, chances are good that grains and cereals in their natural state leave MUCH to be desired.

Even when grains have been stripped of the hulls and stalks we find them with in nature, most grain meals are drenched in salted and spiced sauces to make them more palatable.

So again, a resounding “No!” to question number two!

Which brings us to question number three:

3. Does it bring positive results when we apply it as a diet?

“Grain Damage”, by Dr. Doug Graham, is a helpful booklet on the subject of grains and the human diet. In it, he identifies over 12 chemicals in grains that behave similar to opiates in the human body. These chemicals are undoubtedly the cause for the very addictive quality of breads and cereals. Further proof lies in the fact that many people experience relief from chronic irritability and mood “disorders” when grains and breads are eliminated from the diet.

Could it be worse?

Well, YES!

Phytic acid is found in grains and is known to bind with existing calcium in the body during the digestive process. It does this as a means of reducing the acidity that is caused by consuming grains in the body. To what degree the consumption of grains can contribute to conditions like osteoporosis would be very hard to determine because of the fact that there have never been any long term nutritional studies that have eliminated grains and cereals as a variable.

We know that they’re not particularly high in nutritional value, being very low in Vitamins A, B and C. They are a solid source of carbohydrate, and we need carbohydrates, but we can get them in sufficient quantity and much greater quality in fresh, ripe fruits!

Though we’ve been taught that whole grains are a great source of fiber, the fact is that the fiber found in grains is very irritating to the intestines. Many sufferers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome know this intimately, and the prevalence of grain consumption in our society is likely one of the major contributing causes of IBS.

Many children who suffer from concentration difficulties and irritability have experienced tremendous relief by eliminating these foods from their diet. Tonya Kay is a perfect example of someone who suffered with severe forms of “bipolar disorder” for 7 years and simply by switching to a raw food diet completely “cured” herself of the need to continue consuming toxic medications.

Are Sprouted Grains Any Better?

Well, as far as I’m concerned, NO! First of all, I could never imagine myself foraging for sprouted grains to make my daily meals.

While some people claim that the release of enzymes and digestion of natural sugars and vitamins makes grains more digestible, I don’t believe it makes them any more naturally adapted to the human diet.

We see the effects that these foods can have on people with eating disorders, emotional instability and obesity. I don’t believe it serves us to keep them in the diet. In fact, I believe it’s one of the very first things that should be eliminated from the diet of a person who wishes to improve their health, energy and general mood and outlook on life.

“What?! No Breads, Cereals or Pasta!!! What Am I Going To DO?!!”

Naturally, for people who are used to eating cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and pasta for supper, the idea of eliminating grains from the diet can seem nearly impossible and definitely a bit frightening!

Relax. No ones going to make you give up your noodles until you’re ready. But in the meantime, here is a valuable Step-By-Step approach to helping you made that happen:

A Step-by-Step Approach To Eliminating Grains from Your Diet

In order to start yourself on a progressive gradient of eliminating these foods from your diet, consider the following steps.

1. Start by eliminating the glutinous grains.

If you’re not ready to make the jump to a full fledged raw food diet that is high in fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables, then at least start to move toward the grains that do not contain gluten. Because of the prevalence of gluten-intolerance in our society now (Celiac’s Disease) it is quite easy to find rice pasta in most food stores.

Gluten contains a chemical that behaves much like morphine, and frankly PMS will become a mysterious thing of the past when you get these nasty little niblets out of your diet for once and for all!

Eliminating glutinous grains from the diet does wonders for that “little rounded belly” most women tend to develop after a while. That lump of indigestible guck in the intestines virtually disappears after 3 days of eliminating grains and cereals from the diet!

2. Eat more sweet potatoes, and cooked starchy vegetables.

Fall in love with different kinds of starchy vegetables that have far fewer negative consequences to their consumption. The chances of finding a finding some potatoes in nature and sparking up a primitive fire are not impossible for me to imagine. While it’s certainly not as easy, practical or nearly as tasty as plucking a fresh mango from a tree and losing myself in its sweetness, I can still imagine the possibility. Cauliflower and celery root make wonderfully creamy soups (without the cream, of course)!

So if you’re not quite ready to eliminate cooked foods and go for the juicy trail of fruits and veggies, well, at least get off the grain train by transitioning yourself to more cooked, starchy vegetables.

3. Continue to increase the quantity of fresh fruits and veg in your diet.

It’s not hard to substitute a breakfast of cereal or toast for a fruit smoothie packed with bananas. Instead of pasta at supper, go for a baked potato with a BIG salad! Continue with this gradient and you will immediately start to experience the benefits of a diet that is higher in fresh fruits and veg. That little bread belly will disappear, your moods will stabilize and you’ll just start feeling better and better all the time!

Who knows, before long you’ll be signing yourself up for the 30 Day Body Enlightenment System and declaring yourself a Raw Foodist for LIFE!

About the Author: Tera Warner is a writer and online entrepreneur, and co-creator of “The Raw Divas,” the only online raw food resource especially for women. Visit the website today at

TheRawDivas.com

for inspiration, recipes, and support for women who are passionate about health and LIFE.

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Dog laws strengthened in Virginia county

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Thursday, May 12, 2005

Amid publicity that arose from deaths and injuries due to dog attacks in the region, the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to impose tougher penalties on dog owners who let their dogs run free. After a public hearing Tuesday evening, the board voted for a new animal control ordinance. Now dog owners who are repeat offenders face a misdemeanor crime of $2,500 or up to a year in jail.

Dogs that repeatedly chase cars and run free, or otherwise trespass on property, could be euthanized if so ordered by a judge. A dog that is “roaming, running or self-hunting off the property or premises of its owner or custodian and not under the immediate control of the owner or custodian or his agent,” meets the county’s legal definition of a dog running at large.

The mauling death of an elderly woman by 3 Pit Bulls in her front yard sparked a public debate on animal control. At the hearing, State Senator Edward Houke said he would raise dog law issues in the January meeting of the Virginia General Assembly. According to The Free Lance Star, Houke said, “It’s pretty obvious to me that the state law needs to be changed, but saying that and it happening, is two completely different phenomena. If there’s one thing you learn quickly it’s that you don’t bring dog bills to the Virginia General Assembly.”

The Sullivan daughters, who lost their mother in the mauling attack, circulated petitions in the county and also attended the hearing. Board chairman Robert Hagan noted the Sullivan family presence and thanked them for their efforts to prevent more tragedies.

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Manitoba’s flood creating hazardous conditions

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Red River at Winnipeg is almost clear of ice blocks and ice jamming, however there are still dangers from the Red River flood.

Ice blocks which were as high as two storey buildings were ripping out trees, fences and railway ties. “You’ll see huge pans of ice standing vertical, up to 20 feet (6.1 m) high,” said Steve Topping, an official with the provincial Water Stewardship Department. “Ice was shoved up on the shore and took out trees with a very devastating effect. It has changed people’s view of the river.”

“It is incredible, the force. One piece of ice pushed out of the river about 20 feet. You watch the force push this up right in front of your eyes,” said Dean North, of the Selkirk Golf and Country Club.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police are ticketing sight seers who are driving through road closure signs and approaching excavators, cranes and crews breaking up the ice. Vehicles, people, boats, and kayaks are getting in the way.

An eight year old boy is in critical condition after slipping on a culvert Thursday. He was pulled underwater by the speed of the flowing water and remained under for about five to ten minutes until adults could rescue him. The air ambulance supplied by Alberta’s STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) remains in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“This is not a spectator sport. It’s not about getting the best pictures for the family albums. I know floods are seen as a bit of an event, but some of the instances I’m hearing about, people should give their head a shake, they really should,” said Steve Ashton Manitoba Emergency Measures Minister, “Those who fall into the river or get into trouble in another way would be not only endangering themselves but the emergency response crews trying to rescue them. I don’t want to see a situation … where we’re trying our darndest to prevent flooding and save lives and somebody [who] decides to go have a white-water experience ends up killing themselves.”

Early Easter Sunday morning floodwater reached the rural municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements north of Winnipeg. Residents were sent an evacuation advisory Good Friday, however some residents remained. Rescue efforts commenced Saturday night to find those stranded and unable to leave as their vehicles cannot travel in the swollen overland floodwaters. Some people were rescued from roof tops as entire houses were swept off of their foundations by the large ice blocks hurtling down the river.

Highways in the area remain closed. Neil Gobelle, of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation said to “definitely continue to watch the Red River Valley and north of the city up in the Selkirk area. Things are changing quite a bit, quite quickly, so we’ll keep an eye on those areas.”

As of Easter Sunday, Winnipeg is expected to be ice free on the Red River. The River rose 4 feet (1.2 m) in the course of 24 hours. Rain is in the forecast and the higher temperatures of 17 °C (62.6 °F) will cause melting of snow and ice.

A weather system caused by La Niña is being watched by the United States National Weather Service and its potential effects between April 16-18 for residents along the Red River Valley. “We want people to be aware there is a very real possibility of the river going higher than what is out there,” said Mark Ewens, data manager at the NWS, “To have spring floods like this back-to-back is just an unfortunate series of events that have come along to plague us this spring. We’re wanting people to understand that this is a potentially serious problem.”